Pethidine Pleasure

... Sophie and Jeff. We have 23g butterflies too but don't you find that when blood is at a premium, the blood stays in the tubing and can't get anything into the syringe? Anyways, I've subsequently found out that the broken needle method isn't actually allowed anymore...

OK, so much for this one post a day thing - looking back I actually failed on the first day, but that wasn't my fault! It was because I went onto nights and I couldn't tell what was today or tomorrow or just what the hell was going on anyway. Anyways, I was posting even worse rubbish than normal so probably better that I don't try to post daily... on the other hand nobody actually reads this trash so it doesn't really matter! Oh my giddy aunt what the hell am I doing??

Other important things have been happening in my life anyway. Firstly, I've had some insolent 5th yr medical students, who should be studying for their exams, play havoc with my street credit on Facebook. They cheat, they lie... then they stab you in the back!!! What's happening to the youth of today? The world is changing fast.

Secondly, I'm sure some kid on the ward gave me rotavirus. OMG 48 hrs of missery. D's & V's big time!! Started with V's, then soon the D's followed. Then came more D's, D's again and then V and then DDDDDDDDD............. well yeah, you get the picture. Friday was definitely what I'd call a Sad Face Day. Thankfully I managed to avoid the polystyrene cup with pink paedialyte and Mum using a 10mL syringe to rehydrate me. Or worse, the 120mg/kg/day of continuous NG paedialyte, which yes before any smart comments are made, would be more than 13mL per hour.

Anyway, I'm sure I know which kid gave me gastro. You know that feeling, even though you've seen millions of kids with the same condition, you're sure you know exactly which one gave you the bug... oh revenge will be sweet... if only he was old enough to use Facebook... his zombie would stand no chance... mwhahaha....

Urgh!! Pain... agony.... really struggling to adjust back to sleeping at night and staying awake during the day... I don't know if I'm coming or going... sleeping or getting up... whether I'm having breakfast, lunch or dinner... I hardly know what day of the week it is...

I hate the day after nights. It's all part of the process of resetting the body clock to a sensible pattern. I try to stay up as long as I can but after sitting down I just pass out. However while trying to stay awake, I reflect on the week that's just gone by. In my moment of thoughtfulness earlier, I was thinking about how I greeted many parents in ED - "Hi, I'm one of the doctors working the graveyard shift..." Now I realise that while many people refer to working night duty as doing the "graveyard shift", it's probably not a good way to refer to night duty when working in a hospital............ especially when a child has come in acutely short of breath...............

Had to take bloods from a 3 month old baby using a "broken off needle" today. Involved literally breaking off a 22g needle off its blue hub, inserting it into a vein and letting the blood drip into bottles. I don't get why it's necessary! Without the hub I find the needle quite hard to handle, then the drips falls immeditely and are hard to control coming out the end of the needle. Wouldn't it be easier to leave the hub there and then suck blood out of the hub using a drawing up needle? Just like you do when putting in an IV line and taking bloods from the line? Oh the things that come to mind when you've just finished your 6th night shift...

During my random browsing on nights, I found the most awesome stuff ever!! EMST merchandise! How cool is that! I really like the bowtie and socks. Buy now! BUY NOW!!